De Halilović a Riqui Puig: Los jugadores de La Masia que no triunfaron en el Barça

The FC Barcelona confirmed recently the exit of Riqui Puig with destination to Los Angeles Galaxy of the Major League Soccer (MLS), with an agreement until the 2025. The one of Matadepera has sacked after having gone through all the inferior categories of the Barcelona club and tras 'rise' to the first team in the 2020. To his 22 years (the 13 of this month fulfils the 23), the midfield player has given a surprising twist and abandons no only his house, but the old continent in research of growth like footballer.

The main reason of the exit of Riqui this summer has been that does not have space in the team and does not go in in the plans of Xavi Hernández, something that already had happened with the previous trainers of the Barça. The midfield player is a culé confeso and lives for the club, but understood that the only form to give a jump in his career was to abandon the City Condal. And like this it has done it, although it does so alone some years was considered like one of the big promises of The Masia.

Riqui Has gone out by the rear door, but has not been the only born player in the inferior categories of the club that has gone without fulfilling his dream to triumph with the Barça. The newspaper 'SPORT' has reviewed the nine cases, in addition to Riqui, more sounded in the last years, beginning by a Giovani two Saints, the one who after a season in the first team did his cases.

It turned into a very used resource by Rijkaard, but his polivalencia carried him to 'test' in different teams: Tottenham, Ipswich, Galatasaray, Racing of Santander, Mallorca, Villarreal or Los Angeles, where was four years. It went through the Club America and right now is without team. Also it is Gai Assulin, remembered for having been called as 'the new Messi', but only played 56 minutes in the first Barcelona team.

In 2010 it signed his exit to add to the inferior categories of the Manchester City, although afterwards it went through Racing, Granada, Hercules, Mallorca and Sabadell. Now, it is in the Unipomezia, team of the fourth Italian division. Jeffren Suárez is another of the remembered, after being the author of the fifth goal in the goleada 5-0 in front of the Real Madrid of José Mourinho.

It abandoned the City Condal in the 2011 to add to the Sporting Club of Portugal and later Valladolid, but the reality is that it has tested luck in a sinfín of leagues: Belgium, Switzerland, Cyprus, Croatia, Arab Emirates and Thailand. Also it appeared the 'Messi of Croatia', Alen Halilovic, and arrived to the rows of the club (for the inferior categories) with 18 years, although Luis Enrique did not doubt in having he for his team.

It has happened, since, by the Sporting of Gijón, Hamburg, The Palms, Milan, Standard Lieja, Heerenveen, Birmingham, Reading and Rijeka. Another successor, this time of Sergio Busquets, appeared in the recamara does some years. Sergi Samper is one of the footballers that has gone through all the categories of The Masia (of the Escola until the jump 'final'), but with the injuries did not leave him advance. It happened to play with the Granada or The Palms, but at present finds with Iniesta and Bojan in the Vissel Kobe.

Cases very sounded

A player that aimed to star was Gerard Dolofeu. His impact in the inferior categories positioned it like one of the futures 'cracks' of the team, but the expectations were a lot of greater to the reality. It abandoned the Barça very soon and strolled by the Everton, Seville or Milan, to return to 'house' and leave shortly after with destination to the Watford and later to the Udinese. A similar case is the one of Xavi Simons, the one who despuntó in the stage of childish and cadet.

It did not debut with the Barça B and much less with the first team, and put course to the Paris Saint-Germain, where neither stood out like titling. Now it is in the PSV Eindhoven. Carles Aleñá, on the other hand, also was a quite stood out jewel in his first years like footballer but in the Barça did not have continuity. After his go through the Betis and back return, has turned into a 'fixed' of the Getafe for his centre of the field.

The recent case more controversial, without place to doubts, has been the one of Ilaix Moriba. His irruption in the first team in the season 2020-21, under the orders of Ronald Koeman, auguraban to a footballer of a level 'incontestable', but put by in front always the money and decided not renewing with the Barça. In the summer of 2021 left to the RB Leipzig and six months afterwards yielded him to Valencia.